Last Word on College Football Top 25 Week 14
Championship Weekend is in the books, and it didn’t disappoint. Washington, Penn State, and Clemson all stated their final cases for the College Football Playoffs with conference championships. The Huskies handled Colorado easily. Clemson had to hold off a pesky and very talented Virginia Tech. Meanwhile, Penn State overcame a 21 point deficit to Wisconsin to take the title in the nation’s best conference for 2016.
But those three teams were likely playing for two spots. There were a lot of questions entering the weekend. Could Ohio State stay in the top four without a conference title? Our voters say yes. Could Michigan slide into the top four? Our voters say no. And could the Big Ten Champion jump Michigan and possibly into the top four? Our voters say yes and no, respectively.
And Western Michigan wrapped up the only other FBS undefeated season against a game Ohio team in the MAC Championship. Coupled with a Navy loss to Temple in the American Athletic Conference title game, that should lock the Broncos into the Cotton Bowl.
The play on the field is done. Now the resumes are in the hands of the College Football Playoff Committee. Here’s how our voters rank the teams for the last time in the regular season.
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LAST WORD ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25 WEEK 14
| Rank
|
Team
|
Points
|
Previous
|
|
1. |
|
400 | 1 | |
| Alabama wraps up the only Power 5 undefeated season and secures another SEC Championship. Can the Tide finish the perfect season through the CFP gauntlet? Or will it all be for naught? Mike Loveall
|
||||
2. |
|
371 | 2 | |
| With neither Wisconsin or Penn State looking significantly stronger than the other, Ohio State is almost guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. The Buckeyes will likely face Clemson in the first round of the playoffs. Rob Gritzer
|
||||
3. |
|
367 | 3 | |
| Dabo’s boys return to the playoffs with another ACC title to boot. Its now up to the Playoff committee to determine their seed but need not to worry about their spot in the Final Four. Justin Gordon
|
||||
4. |
|
362 | 4 | |
| The Huskies claimed their first conference title in eons, with a dominant win over Colorado. Now, they hope they have done enough to earn a CFP spot, despite a weak OOC schedule. Donald King
|
||||
5. |
|
336 | 7 | |
| The Nittany Lions won the Big Ten Championship in dramatic fashion. It’s going to be hard to keep the champion of the best conference in football this year out of the Playoffs. The early season loss against Pitt and the drubbing at Michigan will probably do it for Penn State. Zach Jones
|
||||
6. |
|
320 | 5 | |
| Michigan is almost definitely in the Orange Bowl. It might not be what fans in Ann Arbor were hoping for, but it’s far from a bad season, with a year-end Top 5 ranking within reach. Yesh Ginsburg
|
||||
7. |
|
303 | 8 | |
| Back to back! That’s the war cry of the Sooners as they culminated an undefeated Big 12 season with a 38-20 victory over Oklahoma State. Samaje Perine ran for 239 yards as Oklahoma won its second championship in a row. The Sooners will most likely take on Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. Jason Rhea
|
||||
8. |
|
280 | 6 | |
| The Badgers blew a 28-14 lead at halftime to lose another B1G Championship game. The game came down to a 4th and 1 where Penn State held them with a minute to go. Now Wisconsin will have to wait and see how far the committee will drop them. Rob Gritzer
|
||||
9. |
|
274 | 11 | |
| USC might be one of the hottest teams in the country right now. Unless the committee shocks us, we’ll see the Trojans face another of the hottest teams in the country (Penn State) in the Rose Bowl. Yesh Ginsburg
|
||||
10. |
|
239 | 12 | |
| The Broncos rowed all the way to a perfect regular season. With Navy’s loss, P.J. Fleck’s crew will be in the Cotton Bowl and will get to match that perfect record against one of the big boys; maybe the ones from the Big House. John Bava III
|
||||
11. |
|
235 | 13 | |
| With the help of an upset victory of Louisville by Kentucky, the Seminoles look primed and ready for a trip to the Orange Bowl. If last week’s rankings hold true his would mark the 5th straight year that Florida State will have played in a BCS/New Years 6 bowl. Jonathan Bailey
|
||||
12. |
|
231 | 9 | |
| The Buffaloes fell short of completing their fairy tale ending, falling to a loaded Washington squad in the PAC-12 title game. CU will likely head to San Antonio or San Diego for their bowl matchup. Donald King
|
||||
13. |
|
202 | 10 | |
| The Cowboys reached a 17-10 lead with just minutes to go in the first half, but couldn’t maintain as they fell to Oklahoma in the Bedlam game 38-20. Oklahoma State ran for over 200 yards in the contest but was unable to sustain drives in the second half in being out scored 21-3. Jason Rhea
|
||||
14. |
|
187 | 16 | |
| All eyes turn to Saturday’s Heisman Ceremony. For most of they year Lamar Jackson seemed to walk away with the trophy. However, it remains to be seen whether or not he created enough separation to make up for his struggles late in the year. Jonathan Bailey
|
||||
15. |
|
181 | 14 | |
| The Mountaineers quietly bounced back from a mid-season stumble to finish in the Top 15. This should set them up for a quality bowl berth as the third — maybe second — team out of the Big 12. Brendan Dzwierzynski
|
||||
16. |
|
159 | 19 | |
| What’s sweet in the Big Easy and yells “War Eagle”? Auburn in the Sugar Bowl! With The Tide rolling Florida for the SEC Championship, the Tigers will more than likely be headed to the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans to face Big 12 Champion, Oklahoma. Lauren Beasley
|
||||
17. |
|
139 | 18 | |
| David Shaw’s team watched the conference title game from 25 minutes away from the venue. Next, the Cardinal await their bowl assignment, in what might be the great Christian McCaffrey’s last game in Cardinal and White. Donald King
|
||||
18. |
|
95 | 21 | |
| The Tigers finished the season 7-4 after a roller coaster season. LSU was inconsistent at best on the field. They fired Les Miles and hired interim coach Ed Orgeron. With Florida losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship, LSU is in position for a quality bowl bid. Kate Pearson-Halyburton
|
||||
19. |
|
92 | 25 | |
| The Panthers may have finished fourth in the ACC Coastal, but getting to an 8-4 record in back to back years and wins over Clemson and Penn State has the campus abuzz with bowl possibilities. Among the rumored destinations are the Sun Bowl, the Pinstripe Bowl, and the Russell Athletic Bowl. Tony Siracusa
|
||||
20. |
|
68 | 14 | |
| The Utes had a solid season. Two losses to two Top 12 teams and no loss more than seven points (7, 5, 2, and 5). Utah is steadily building the foundation for a perennial conference contending program. Mike Loveall
|
||||
21. |
|
65 | 17 | |
| The Hokies made it interesting but it wasn’t enough to overthrow the Tigers. In his first season, Justin Fuente has proven his worth coaching in the shadow of Frank Beamer. The Hokies have a lot to build on for the future. Justin Gordon
|
||||
22. |
|
56 | 23 | |
| The Bulls finished the season with big wins over Navy and Memphis on the road. They finished with a 10-2 record but missed out on the AAC championship game due to their loss to Temple. The biggest question heading into the off-season is whether they can retain head coach Willie Taggart. Matthew Atkinson
|
||||
23. |
|
45 | 24 | |
| After losing to both the teams who played in the Big Ten Conference Championship in consecutive weeks, Iowa closed their season strong. They upset Michigan and beatdown Nebraska. There’s certainly going to be disappointment at some of the early season losses, but the Hawkeyes finish the season at 8-4 and should find themselves in a good bowl later in December. Sean Garmer
|
||||
24. |
|
41 | NR | |
| The Broncos finished with the best overall record in the MWC Mountain Division at 10-2, but their 6-2 conference record was only good enough for second place. They will also have to deal with the rumor mill during bowl season as there are confirmed reports that their head coach, Bryan Harsin, has met with Oregon officials about the head coaching vacancy in Eugene. Tony Siracusa
|
||||
25. |
|
34 | 22 | |
| The Huskers had a solid, 9-win regular season. A lack of signature wins, a soft(er) schedule compared to other Big Ten West teams, and a late season blow-out at the hands of Iowa diminish their season a little. Mike Loveall | ||||
OHIO STATE (11-1)
CLEMSON (12-1)
WASHINGTON (12-1)
PENN STATE (11-2)
MICHIGAN (10-2)
OKLAHOMA (10-2)
WISCONSIN (10-3)
USC (9-3) 
WESTERN MICHIGAN (13-0)
FLORIDA STATE (9-3)
COLORADO (10-3)
OKLAHOMA STATE (9-3)
LOUISVILLE (9-3)
WEST VIRGINIA (10-2)
AUBURN (8-4)
STANFORD (9-3)
LSU (7-4)
PITTSBURGH (8-4)
UTAH (8-4)
VIRGINIA TECH (9-4)
SOUTH FLORIDA (10-2)
IOWA (8-4)
BOISE STATE (10-2)
NEBRASKA (8-4)Others Receiving Votes: Temple (31), Florida (31), Tennessee (24), Houston (11), Navy (10), San Diego State (7), Air Force (4).
Will the Committee see things as our writers do? We find out shortly.
Previous LWOS Polls:
Preseason Top 25
Week 1 Top 25
Week 2 Top 25
Week 3 Top 25
Week 4 Top 25
Week 5 Top 25
Week 6 Top 25
Week 7 Top 25
Week 8 Top 25
Week 9 Top 25
Week 10 Top 25
Week 11 Top 25
Week 12 Top 25
Week 13 Top 25
About the poll: Sixteen Last Word on College Football writers submit ballots and points are awarded on a inverse-scale (a first place vote receives 25 points, a 25th-place vote receives 1 point).
Main Photo:
